Cars, Planes, and a Big Problem
by Vivian Hale
Summary: It had been a typical, calm night on guard duty. It was quite a large area and there were two other guards usually. Tonight they had decided to get off early without telling Dawn. Then a blazing ball of fire landed in the field near a brick warehouse.
1. American Flag Alarm

American Flag Alarm

Dawn Montgomery shook with fear as she stared up at the huge red, mostly white, and blue form. No, this wasn't an American flag. It definitely wasn't even American. Did it even come from this planet? As the strange being seemed to look down at her with huge blue lights that seemed to be eyes at her, she answered with an emphatic no.

It had been a typical, calm night on guard duty. It was quite a large area and there were two other guards usually. Tonight they had decided to get off early without telling Dawn. She had only found out when she was supposed to have met up with at least one of them within thirty minutes. Then a blazing ball of fire landed in the field near a brick warehouse. Then American Flag robot came out.

Why, of all the times to be on duty alone, did THIS have to happen? She could have handled a rabid dog or a gun wielding maniac better than whatever THIS was. She scrambled backward when the enormous robotic…thing bent down closer, scraping her hands on the rough gravel as she did so.

She saw a white hand come down at her and she yelped and tried to back up more, but a brick wall stopped her. Dawn started to hyperventilate. She didn't want to die. She gave a sort of gasping bark of a terrified laugh. What would the obituaries say? Cause of death, gigantic robot. No. The government would cover it up until they could investigate.

A tiny whimper came from her throat as she gasped, "I don't want to die!"

Suddenly, the robot stopped its hand only a foot away from where she was trying to dart away. Startled she stared fearfully up at the nightmare that she couldn't wake up from. She heard the rumble of a huge, rocket-like engine.

Then a voice spoke. A deep, _gentle_, calm voice that would have made Dawn relax had it not come from a huge robot.

"You will not die. You do not need to fear me. I am sorry I have alarmed you."

"Alarmed?" she squeaked. _More like terrified me to the point I would throw up or pee in my pants._

The huge robot suddenly scooped her up. She curled up tight in his palm as she felt the rush of air as he raised her to his eye level. Dawn felt a tingling sensation. Terrified it was some sort of poison the robot had stuck in her when she wasn't watching, she snapped open her eyes, only to feel something run down her back, stop in the middle of her back, and start again. She peeked over her shoulder, shivering, when she saw it was a finger of his other hand. She watched as his finger moved back and forth. What was he trying to do? Lull her to sleep to kill her?

Against her will, she relaxed a bit. It was strangely soothing. No wonder pets liked it. Pets? Oh no, was this thing planning on making her its pet?

Just then, she heard vehicles pulling up. A gasp of relief escaped her. It was probably government or some coworkers. She would be free of this terrifying robot, even if he wasn't trying to kill or kidnap her. She peaked downward, but what met her eyes caused her to revert back to panic mode. Instead of police cars, there was a blue and red semi, a silver Pontiac, and a navy and black Jaguar. She stared in horror as they began to change into robots similar to American Flag who was holding her.

Of course no of the government officials or coworkers appeared. She was practically in the middle of nowhere, and she didn't want to get on the bad side of these robots who could squish her like a bug.

"Hello Skyfire, I'm pleased that you have reached Earth safely. Now what are you doing with a human in your hand?" the blue and red semi was very tall, but not nearly as tall as…Skyfire? Dawn stared up at the blue eyed robot. So there were more of these around? Why didn't anyone know…duh. They seemed to be able to hide in a vehicle form. She let out a huffy breath.

"This… femme seemed to have a very negative reaction to my arrival. I was merely trying to calm…her?" Skyfire replied with respectful tones.

A snort that sounded very feminine caught Dawn's attention.

"Skyfire, that poor girl probably has never seen us or heard of us. I'm surprised they didn't put Will on duty," the navy blue one with a black stripe sighed.

"Will was busy with his family, Electrostar," the silver one seemed to say with a grin.

"Please put the human down, Skyfire, she's terrified," the semi said with a leader-like tone.

Dawn curled up tighter as she felt the air go past her on her way down from such a great height. She felt his hand stop, and she opened her eyes, blinking owlishly at the lights the other three robots were shining at her. She quickly scrambled off the giant one's hand and promptly backed into the brick wall.

"Hey girl, you don't have to be afraid," the silver one told her with a gentle, friendly tone, "We're here to protect you, but later on that. What's your name?"

"D-Dawn…" she stuttered, flipping some red brown bangs out of her eyes and licking her lips nervously. Then she exploded with an exclamation.

"What in the _world _are _you_?" she squeaked.

"We are robotic beings from a planet called Cybertron," the semi told her, "I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots."

"Jazz," the silver one claimed cheerfully.

"You already know my name," Electrostar said calmly, "And the shuttle you have already met is Skyfire. He just landed and didn't know the protocols. _Now_, he should."

"I have received your data packet, Prime, I apologize for the inconvenience, Miss Dawn," the huge shuttle, nodded to her, sighing.

"I-It's ok…b-but why…Earth?"

"That would take a rather long explanation, and we must be getting back to our place," Prime told her, "I trust you to keep this a secret until we can explain more fully?"

"Y-Yes…as long as I don't break any government rules…"

"The government knows of our existence," Electrostar added.

-0-

Skyfire saw the human femme start and sort of shiver, before muttering to herself something about knowing the government would hide this sort of thing. He could hear her clearly with his advanced audios though. Poor Dawn, he hadn't meant to scare her. He was merely curious about this new, rather frail and fearful organic species.

"Prime, would the Cons go after her?" Electrostar looked to Prime, speaking in their native tongue so as not to frighten Dawn with information that she would not need to know.

"They might, and they might not. It would be a risky move on their part," Prime frowned, speaking in Cybertronian also, "It wouldn't be wise to take her with us though either. She is a guard for this area. I believe she will be fine."

Electrostar nodded and stepped back. Skyfire looked back at Dawn, curious. He knelt before her and held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Dawn. Again, I apologize for scaring you," he told her gently. Dawn stared at his hand as if it were going to bite her. She looked up at him, unsure yet also curious. She shakily stood and moved a little closer.

-0-

"I-its ok…" she bit her lip, then reached out and cautiously touched his hand. They would have killed her already if they had wanted to. Besides, this giant robot seemed very nice and polite. These beings seemed to have emotions like humans, and it fascinated her. She stared up at his eyes. They were such a bright, pretty blue. It mimicked the sky on a clear day. No wonder 'Sky' was in his name. But what about the 'Fire' part?

She sighed. She supposed it was just a name. Sometimes names didn't always fit to the person.

"We need to get back to base," the robot called Optimus Prime told the group gently. Dawn stepped back yet again, wondering if she would see these creatures another time.

"Good bye Dawn, you might see us again," Skyfire told her quietly, standing to his full height again. Dawn nodded and smiled faintly.

The group changed into various forms again, and this time, she saw Skyfire's alternative form. It was a large shuttle. No wonder he had landed near the space center. It would be easier to blend in since he was so large. Then, the beings drove off, with Skyfire taking off and flying high above them.

"Bye," Dawn said quietly, practically to herself.

-0-

Vivi- This is just a one shot for now, but if there's interest in a continuation, let me know. I have ideas. ;)


	2. Hot Pink is NOT Camouflage

Vivi- Heh… Sorry. This took WAY longer than I planned to get to, but the plot bunnies came and now I can do this XD

-0-

Hot Pink is NOT Camouflage

It had been a month. A _month_ since American Flag robot had landed. Now Dawn had this weird voicemail on her cell phone. How the giant robots got her cell phone number was a question to be saved for another time.

The voicemail had merely told her to watch for a space shuttle or plane that had hot pink on its wings. Now, Dawn was questioning the wisdom of hot pink on one of these giant robots. At least Flag…er, Skyfire, had normal colors, but hot pink? Hot pink was definitely not camouflage, nor normal on any government vehicle.

By moonrise, Dawn was back at her job, patrolling the vast area with her co-worker and cousin, Julia Robinson. She hadn't told Julia anything, just as the Autobots had requested. Besides, she didn't want to terrify her gentle cousin.

Julia was an average height, with subtle, laughing green eyes and wavy brown hair. She was quiet as a mouse in a crowd, that is, if mice were quiet. If she were compared to a light breeze, it would be a more apt description. She was willowy and graceful, compared to Dawn's more sturdy appearance, with layered wavy hair. Dawn thought she looked fat compared to Julia, but her friends said she was muscular from walking so much on guard duty. _Well, whatever floats their boats._

"Look, there's Betelgeuse," Julia pointed the star out, her soft, slightly lower voice broke the silence. Her voice gave Dawn a start, jarring her out of her thoughts.

"Um… which star is that again?" Dawn grinned slightly, her hazel eyes twinkling. Leave it to 'Beaver' to remember the name of a star.

"Don't tell me you forgot again," came Julia's gentle, sort of breathy laugh, "It's the center star of Orion's belt. The belt-buckle, you know."

"Orion had a belt buckle?"

"Dawn, don't be silly…"

Dawn snickered at Julia's expression. Dawn was known for her rather strange sense of humor, and tonight was no exception.

"Are you worried about something, Dawn?"

Oh yeah. About that. Dawn gave a sigh. She also became more sarcastic when something unsettling had happened, or in this case, was _going _to happen.

"Not really," Dawn shrugged nonchalantly, uneasy at Julia's intense study of her face.

"You can always tell me if you want to," Julia sighed, clearly not believing Dawn.

"If I could, I would, but I can't."

Julia narrowed her eyes suddenly, and then realization covered her delicate features. She gave a quick nod, "I understand. We need to split up now, that way we can cover more area."

It was Dawn's turn to knit her brows at Julia's reaction. What had gotten into her, and why did she suddenly seem to understand far more than Dawn knew? She finally dipped her head and moved on toward the group of shuttles. She had to check for this new robot before her superiors found out. But wouldn't her superiors already know? Why was _she_, a lowly guard, allowed knowledge of these intergalactic beings, while her bosses remained in the dark?

Dawn stumbled slightly over a slight rise where concrete met the grassy stubble. She had reached the tarmac, where the shuttles sat silently. She flicked her eyes along the row along with her high powered flashlight. _Now, which one has pink? I can't tell in this light… or lack of light. Wait. _

At the edge of Dawn's vision, she spotted a flash of hot pink in the dim lamplight, and a rather oddly shaped... _That's not a shuttle! That's a military plane, and quite a large one! _What was a plane doing with a bunch of- oh. Of course.

She headed directly for the plane, and walked around it. On the wings she spotted exactly what she was looking for. A friendly red face, that looked like a frowning old man, in her opinion, stood out in stark contrast to the creamy white of the planes wings. The plane had a few stripes along its contour and on its wings. One was a baby blue, the other stripe a nice hot pink.

"Gotcha," she muttered. Apparently, this Autobot wasn't large enough to take on the shape of a shuttle to blend in.

"Alright, um… your friends. The Autobots. They sent me. Um…" Dawn trailed off uncertainly. All she had been told was to look out for this robot. Now what? She couldn't exactly call them. They had alerted her on an unlisted number. Dangit.

Metallic sounds began to start up, and the metal sides of the plane began to shift and slide. _Oh no, I don't want to be picked up again! _Dawn scrambled backward, away from the large plane. _Bad, malo, nein, no…_

A few seconds later, a rather feminine robot stood in place of the plane. She wasn't nearly as tall as Flag, but she was still bigger or as big as the leader-robot named Optimist…no…Optimus. She still scared the living daylights out of Dawn.

This female robot had something on her head that looked like a helmet that kids on a softball team would wear, only the visor seemed smaller. On the sides of her head were speakers, or at least looked like their counterparts on a boom box. She was slender, for a robot, and was mostly white, with blue and pink stripes along some seams in her metal plating and on her head. Her wings formed a 'V' shape, and had Dawn known the name, the female robot would be a seeker.

"You know where the Autobots are?" the female robot asked quietly, with a gentle lilt to her voice. She _sounded _nice enough, and she hadn't made a grab for Dawn. So far, so good.

"Well, not exactly…. Um… they just told me to watch for you, I've found you and…" Dawn trailed off, and gave a little shrug.

A smile seemed to form on the female's face, and her optics seemed to soften, "I see. My designation… name, is Astrostrike, although most call me Asia. You are…?"

"Um… Dawn," Dawn shuffled a little, nervous. This one was definitely friendly, but how on earth did a giant robot from another planet get the same name as a continent on earth?

"Dawn… as in the beginning of a…day on your planet?"

"Uh… yes…"

"That's a pretty…Oh no…" the robot turned and glanced behind Dawn. Dawn froze, then peeked over her shoulder. She couldn't see or hear anything suspicious, but the plane seemed to. Asia shifted back, more out of the shadowy light of nearby lamps. Both human and robot tensed, ready. Of course, the femme was more ready, since she knew what was coming. Dawn on the other hand, had no idea what she was up against. Her questioning glances were soon shown what Asia had spotted. A VERY familiar silver Honda Insight pulled into the light, and a human…

"Julia?" Dawn exclaimed.

"Sorry, explanation later. Tech'll send the message to the 'Bots."

"Who?"

"Me," a very distinct, male voice came from the car. Dawn stiffened. Julia had a _man _with her?

No. Not a man. A robot man. The Honda suddenly shifted into a robot mode, much smaller than Asia, but tall from Dawn's viewpoint. He was around 18 feet tall. The front end of the Honda seemed to be his chest, but slightly flattened, so it didn't look feminine. His face was more angular than Asia's, that was for sure. He had something that looked like antenna, but she couldn't put a name to it. Otherwise, he looked more like the male robots she had seen with Flag.

"You _knew_?"

"Yes, but I didn't know _you _knew," Julia replied, faintly nervous, "As I said, now's not the time."

Dawn stared, completely bowled over at this revelation. Julia had known about the robots. She _had _a robot for her _car_! How long had she had that car? A year or two? How long had she known? How _long_? She couldn't have told Dawn. The robots probably had told her to keep it quiet. She would have had to, with one of them _guarding _her. Guarding her from what?

Tech's vibrant blue eyes faded a moment, seeming to be thinking, and then brightened again, "They're on their way, Astrostrike. I'm sorry I didn't get in touch sooner, but I didn't know until Prime commed me. What was the idea, not comming one of the others?"

"My communications were down right after I hit the atmosphere. I apologize, they couldn't be brought back up without a medic," Asia replied softly, a kicked puppy expression appearing on her face.

"Oh. Well… I suppose that makes sense. Plus Miss Dawn here might have been grabbed by the 'Cons," Tech nodded, "Sorry."

_That's different. He sounds a lot less formal than Flag… Skyfire… Probably because of Julia._ Dawn mused to herself. This would definitely be an interesting night. Julia needed to explain everything now. She would also have to explain all she knew, but that wasn't much compared to Julia's story. Dawn could tell from the expression on Julia's face. It was going to be a _long _tale.

-0-

Vivi- This is sort of a… cracky story, so it definitely won't have a definite schedule. Only when my muse strikes…eh. Sorry XD This has been long in the works, and it finally came out from rereading some favorite fan fiction… and Flag is Skyfire. Dawn likes that name better :3 AND ASIA IS MINE. (not the country people, eesh… -_-)

My knowledge of Betelgeuse comes from Wikipedia, and Pathfinders. Mostly Wikipedia :P

ENJOY!

Oh, and:

malo- bad (Spanish)

nein- no (German)

And last but not least, _Leave it to Beaver _is an old TV show, for those who don't know :P


	3. What Happened?

What Happened?

**-Dawn's POV-**

"So what happened?" I asked impatiently, tapping my foot slightly, even though that wasn't really needed.

"It was crazy," Julia ducked her head and sighed, and then continued softly, "One minute I was walking down the block to my apartment and the next thing I know, a car grabbed me. I was shocked, cars just don't _grab _people. It was one of the bad guys, what they call 'Decepticons'. Apparently this guy was trying to get away from one of the 'Autobots', the good guys. So he decided they wouldn't attack him if he grabbed some human. That was a bad idea, because the Autobots will chase the 'Cons down until they get the human back. So they got me back after a long car chase, and then they assigned a guardian to me, Tech. That's when I got the Honda Insight."

"You're forgetting the Cons had you for a few days and held you hostage until we came and got you," Tech added from where he was standing a few feet away with his arms crossed.

"That was the 'surprise' vacation you took wasn't it?" I frowned, concerned, "Oh Jules, how _did_ you manage it?"

"I survived. That's why you don't have a guardian and I do, because I was actually kept there for a few days, and I know that's the next question you're going to ask…" Julia smiled faintly at my miffed expression.

"I was not!" I retorted childishly, causing Tech to snicker.

"Sure you weren't little lady."

I jerked my head around to stare up at him, "Whoa, wait a minute. You sound like that other silver car… wasn't he a Porsche?"

Tech just laughed.

"He's been hanging out with Jazz, the 'Bot you're talking about," Julia sighed, "They're both rather silly."

"Hey, Jazz gets into way more trouble than I ever do," Tech grinned, "Besides, he's bonded, er, married to Zippy the Popsicle."

"Who now?" I most likely looked flabbergasted, since Julia let out a small laugh.

"He's talking about Wildstrike. She's a bright orange Lamborghini," Julia grinned.

"Now I understand the popsicle part, and I can only assume she likes to race around…" I shook my head, "You have some special snowflakes over there…"

Tech gave me a strange look while Julia giggled again. Then I noticed that the new robot, Astrostrike, was standing quietly as we talked, looking over at Tech, unsure what to do. She looked fairly uncomfortable, and I felt bad for her. Come to think of it, it probably wasn't the easiest thing for her to go from a home planet and show up on a planet already inhabited by creatures quite a bit smaller than her. _Insects…_A flicker of a grin crossed my face.

"Don't worry; we'll get to base soon enough," Tech grinned over at Astrostrike, "Hey Jules? Let's get this show on the road. Astro here needs to get to base before we draw unwanted attention." Tech transformed down and popped open a door.

"What about Dawn?" Julia frowned, concerned.

"The Cons don't know about her, and the sooner we get out of here, the less likely they ever will," Tech told Julia gently, "C'mon, let's go."

Julia sighed and finally got in, but I noticed a faint flicker of determination cross her face before the door shut. That did _not _bode well. Julia is typically rather mild, but if anyone threatened her family, it brought out the mother lion in her.

I watched as Astrostrike changed into the alternative form of a military plane, took off, and followed Tech out of the area. Something possessed me to continue watching until Tech's taillights faded into the distance.

I blinked and tossed my bangs out of my eyes. _Back to guard duty, Dawn, _I reprimanded myself and began my circuit around the vast area. Once again, I had been left alone on guard duty. It seemed like a trend on the part of Shae and Evan, my coworkers. It had increased from once a month to once a week. Of course their pay was docked, but somehow, they hadn't lost their jobs. _Which won't last long with so many people looking for work… _I added to myself, but I just sighed. I had warned them, but it seemed that it hadn't bothered them enough.

I jerked to attention when I heard a car engine. _Why are they back again? Did they forget something?_ I was expecting the familiar Honda Insight Julia drove and started forward, but I reversed my direction quickly when I realized it was _not _Tech or Julia. I paled slightly. A trespasser? Great. I hadn't really had to deal with those yet, but apparently, there was a first time for everything. I gulped, walked up to the car, and tapped on the door.

"Excuse me, but you're in the wrong place. The museum is down the other…"

"I know where the museum is, but thank you," a smooth feminine voice interrupted, "I am your supervisor, Miss Lyman."

"Oh, excuse me," I quickly recovered my usual relaxed attitude.

"What was going on out here tonight?" Miss Lyman continued, "I need to know to put it on file."

I stiffened slightly, unsure. If the government knew about the Autobots, wouldn't my supervisor know? Or did only select people know?

"Some people from the government were lost," I replied calmly and carefully. I figured if the government approved, I wasn't going to tell my supervisor _exactly _what had happened.

"Why wasn't I told of this?"

"I'm not sure ma'am," I answered honestly. Miss Lyman was quiet a few moments, and finally sighed.

"Alright if you are sure…" she trailed off, as if she was expecting to elaborate more.

"I'm sure."

"If there is anything more I need to know, give me a call. You _do _have my number, correct?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good," with that, the car pulled away more quickly than it had come. In the faint glow of the streetlamps, I caught the glimmer of blue from the car and an eerie pointed face engraved over the wheel. It reminded me vaguely of the old man face Astrostrike had engraved on her.

_But it isn't the same face…_I stared after a vehicle once again. I rubbed my head a moment, shrugged, and began walking again. It was a false alarm. Just like some of the other nights.

-**Normal POV**-

Julia settled quietly into the comfortable seat of her Honda Insight… or rather, Tech. She didn't want to leave Dawn alone on guard duty. Apparently, her co-workers had disappeared. Again.

"Now Jules, don't be pulling that turbo-puppy face on me. It won't work."

"I'm not…"

"Yes you are. How many times has Dawn been on guard duty alone?"

"…"

"That's what I thought. She's good at what she does, or so I've heard. I wouldn't worry too much about her."

"But…"

"Worry wart."

"Tech!"

"Well you are." Julia could hear the grin in Tech's voice and huffed at him.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…" Tech sang at her.

"Now don't start that again…"

"You make me happy when sky's are grey…"

"Tech…"

"You never know, dear, how much I love you…"

Julia finally gave in and sang the rest with him begrudgingly, "So please don't take my sunshine away." She ended up laughing a little.

"I really shouldn't have taught you that…"

"Oh, but it's hilarious to sing at Sunshine at base," Tech snickered, "I woulda found it anyway, because of Jazz."

"Whatever…" Julia shook her head with a wry grin on her face.

Astrostrike listened to the chatter with a thoughtful expression. Tech seemed to be a good influence on this human named Julia. She had perked up within a few minutes of his reassurance.

"Hey Astro, do you have a nickname? Astrostrike is too long to yell out when I have to tell you something," Tech suddenly addressed her through the radio, grinning.

"Well…I do go by Asia."

"Asia as in the continent? I thought it would be like… Ash or Astro," Tech commented.

"To make a long story short, I couldn't say my name when I was young, so it came out Asia," Asia smiled to herself, thinking back to another mech she had allowed to call her by that name, and in turn, she had nicknamed him.

Thirty minutes later, they pulled up to a huge building that looked like a warehouse. There was an airstrip and helicopter pad nearby so that seekers and helicopter type Autobots could land easily. Asia took advantage of the airstrip, landed easily, and transformed out of her military plane mode to study the place more easily.

"Here it is, Asia, base sweet base," Tech snickered, pulled to a stop in front the building, and let Julia out first before transforming too.

A flash of something large and white caught Asia's attention. Her optics widened as she recognized the large white figure.

"Skyfire…"

-0-

Vivi- So I decided to switch up how I write this story…how do you like the first person view? (:

Review please and thank you, it keeps me wanting to update!

Replies:

**LilyRianeEvans**: Thank you for reviewing! I'm so glad that it sounded realistic, and now it is becoming the longer story I promised it would be (:

**Precious92 or freezeingtime92**: Thank you! Here is yet another chapter, and I'm glad her reaction is believable (:

**Noella50881**: Thank you! (:


	4. Old Friends

**Vivi: What? Another story updated? That's right folks! :D Enjoy and review please! They help chapters come faster ;) Just review an idea or what you did/didn't like, and I will take those into consideration. (:**

Old Friends

**-Normal POV-**

Skyfire couldn't believe his optics. He hadn't seen Astrostrike for vorns. The last time he saw her was when she had come to tell him she was moving to an area with a higher concentration of seekers. She was a youngling then, but now she had grown into a… quite pretty adult.

He had nearly tried to sneak off before she caught sight of him. He had wanted to have a little more time to be prepared to greet her, but he had no such luck.

"Skyfire!" Asia's face brightened as she hurried over, "I can't believe you're here!"

She was about to hug him like old times, but something stopped her and she backed off slightly. Her cooling fans kicked on. It wasn't quite like old times. He and she had both grown a lot since then. And this time there was more people around. She glanced back toward her escort.

Tech had a grin on his face. Asia couldn't decide if it looked more like he was happy she knew someone or more mischievous like he knew of who had a crush on whom. Then she noticed Julia tapping Tech's leg and giving him a look like he needed to stop grinning.

Asia bit her lip-plate, unsure.

"Hey Asia," Skyfire replied softly, "It's ok. I… missed you too."

Asia turned back to him and slowly grinned, "I was just surprised… you know it's been…"

"Vorns. Yeah I know," he sighed, a slight shy look on his face, "You… turned out really well…"

Her grin grew, "You turned out pretty good yourself. Boy, I barely come up to the middle of your wings, and I'm tall too…"

Skyfire studied her shyly, trying to not be obvious. She had the typical seeker build, but as she said, she was taller than most seekers. He remembered once on Cybertron she had mentioned she had some shuttle genetics, making her a bit taller than the norm. She had pink on her, which wouldn't win her any points at a Cybertronian beauty show, since only primary and secondary colors were accepted, along with black and white. Skyfire didn't mind though. He was a scientist, not a judge.

He grinned slightly when he noticed her trying to tiptoe to see if she could get any taller, "You still don't reach my shoulder Asia."

"Aw scrap," Asia giggled softly, faintly embarrassed at getting caught. Skyfire smiled at the happy sound. Asia hadn't changed much from what he saw. She was friendly, but still shy at the same time.

"I'm sure Prime would like to talk to you before you get settled in. I'll show you to his office," Skyfire told her quietly and then led the way down the ramp of the base's large entrance. Tech followed not far behind, leaving Julia to call Dawn with the new developments.

**-Dawn's POV-**

I got the call from Julia on my cell phone about thirty minutes after she had left. I was still making my rounds and grumbling about the lack of coworkers. Shae and Evan should have been here or replaced by now.

"Hello?" I managed to make my voice somewhat cheery.

"You need to give Sidelight a message," came speedily over the airwaves to my cell phone. Julia was out of breath and excited.

"Give who a what?" I raised my brow in consternation.

"Her name is Sidelight, she's an Autobot; you have to get some information to her. You can't tell anyone though. "

I quickly fiddled with my phone's volume. I couldn't be too safe when it came to the Autobots.

"Why isn't she with the others? Can't Prime send the message?" For highly advanced robots, this seemed like an archaic way of getting a message around, and by humans no less.

"Not right now. He's getting Astrostrike settled in and he's very busy. She is a scientist that seems to have been friends with Skyfire a while back. Just tell Slider that so she isn't surprised when she can make it to base. You can meet her at the park at six o'clock tomorrow night. It won't take long, but make sure not to be late. She has to get back to her work as soon as possible," Julia sounded concerned. It was going to the top of my priority list. If Julia was concerned about something, it had to be done.

"Alright, I'll be there. Don't worry about it," I nodded, even though Julia couldn't see me, "It's several hours before my night shift tomorrow, so I can make it." I was a night owl, and I didn't have a lot of free time during the day. I slept then since I took the graveyard shifts for guard duty. Ten o'clock at night to six in the morning was my usual times, give or take a few hours at either end.

"Oh thank you! I have to work late tomorrow at the shop since I'll be sleeping in tomorrow. I already let the boss know."

"Alright Jules," I grinned, pleased that I could help, "Get some sleep and I'll talk to you tomorrow evening."

"G'night Dawn," I heard the smile in her voice before the call ended. I sighed. It wouldn't be long now until I could get home, shower, and get some much needed sleep after all this excitement.

-0-

At precisely six o'clock, I was sitting on a park bench near the back of the park. Julia had told me that was where she usually met up with Sidelight. I was to look for a blue Honda civic. Julia also warned me that sometimes the 'femme' was a little pushy. Apparently, 'femme' was robot for girl, and 'mech' was robot for boy.

Seconds later, a blue Honda glided up to the bench and rested a few feet away, and an impatient feminine voice asked, "Have you seen a brown haired woman with green eyes? Her name is Julia; I was supposed to meet her here."

"I'm afraid Julia couldn't make it, but she gave me a message to give to you," I stated calmly, "There's a new girl, er, femme at base that goes by the name Astrostrike. She's also called Asia. She's a scientist that knew Skyfire a while back."

"Julia sent you? What proof do you have?" the femme was quite suspicious, but I knew she had every reason to be.

"I'm her cousin, Dawn Montgomery."

"Oh," the femme's tone changed to a much friendlier one, "Thank you. Sorry Dawn, I can't be too careful you know. I'm afraid I must be going though, the 'Con's were on my tail yesterday, and I wouldn't want you caught in the crossfire."

"Its fine, I understand completely," I relaxed, "I may be seeing you around, right?"

"Probably not nearly as much as Tech though," a faint wistful note echoed in her voice, "I am usually out of communication range of the others."

"That sucks, sounds like my guard work," I mentioned, "Sometimes it's hard to get reception there."

"I see. Well, I must be off, I think I'm catching some 'Con's on my radar," some sternness returned to her tone, "Good day, Dawn."

Sidelight peeled out more quickly than she had come. A few minutes later I heard a siren. _Wasn't one of the 'Con's a police car? _I wracked my mind for a moment and then shrugged. My job here was done. I sent a quick text to Julia telling her that it had gone well and then walked back to my car. It was going to be another long night at my job if Shae and Evan didn't show up again.


	5. Unexpected at 2 AM

**Vivi- Well, hold on to your hats folks, this chapter is going to be a bumpy ride. ;) Remember, reviews make the world go 'round. **

Unexpected at 2 A.M.

**-Normal POV-**

Julia slept deeply, snug in a bed in the human area of the Autobot base. This was her home after the 'Bots had rescued her from the Decepticons. They didn't want to risk her capture again, especially with what she now knew about the 'Bots.

Suddenly the wail of sirens went off all around the base, jerking everyone, including Julia, out of their pleasant dreams. Julia stared around, the fuzziness that had filled her brain rapidly disappearing as the sirens continued. She grabbed a light robe, tossed it on, and hurried down a hall to the door leading out into cool night air. She heard many jumbled voices as she watched the soldiers rush around like millions of ants when their hill was attacked.

"Hey, Jules, you should get back to bed," a slightly sharp but gentle metallic voice came from nearby. Julia smiled wryly up at Tech.

"Sleep while there's so much noise?" she mumbled, "Good luck. What's going on anyway?"

"The Decepti-scum have attacked an area that is much too close to a city. We pinpointed it, and it seems to be where they can get supplies to fix themselves," Tech made a face, "We have to stop them. Don't those idiots ever recharge?"

"Evil never sleeps," Julia quipped, causing Tech to snort and barely give her a grin.

"You got that right. Oh… Oh scrap!" he suddenly exclaimed, his optics dimmed as he received a message.

"What?" Julia's concern rose as Tech began to scowl.

"It's much worse. There's a human there. Just one, but it's bad. It's where…" The sirens seemed to howl more earnestly and drowned out what Tech had said.

"Where what?" Julia called over the noise; a sense of foreboding engulfed her. Tech repeated his concern, and Julia's green eyes widened.

"Oh no… Please no…"

**-Dawn's POV-**

I didn't like the rumble I was hearing. I didn't care for thunderstorms, especially on guard duty. It meant everything was twice as hard to see and it was twice as hard to make sure there wouldn't be any trespassers. I glanced toward the sound to see if there was lightning. There were clouds alright, but they weren't thunderstorm clouds. They were the light and fluffy, or what I could see in the silvery light of the moon.

I saw a jet flying high overhead, and to my surprise, it started circling. Surely it wasn't going to land; this was only where the government kept supplies and extra shuttles. Were they in trouble?

Then I saw more jets start to arrive and circle the area. It looked more like a swarm of bees to me. Something was terribly wrong with this picture. They didn't seem to be in any sort of formation I had ever seen. Next a jet started descending, but suddenly it didn't look quite like a jet anymore. The moonlight glinted on the metal as the jet _transformed _and landed on the ground with a thud.

Shocked, I started to back away. I hadn't seen so many of this Cybertronians before. These didn't look like the friendly Autobots either. My heart began to work double time as more and more of the jets landed. I was a guard to keep out intruders, not a warrior to stop alien attackers!

I heard strange sounds coming from the Decepticons, as I now realized what the jets really were. I had heard those crunching metallic noises before, when it seemed the Autobots were speaking to one another. _It's their language…what are they planning? _I started to move more quickly away. There was no way I could take them on. They'd squish me like a bug.

One of the jets looked my way, its red optics glinting in the darkness. My heart all but stopped. The color red had always been a sign of evil. I knew why now. The optics seemed to radiate malevolence.

My hands trembled as I tried to call Julia. She would be able to contact the Autobots. I kept my eye on the 'Cons as I continued to stumble backward away from them. I glanced at my cell phone once and gave a sharp cry. I had no service. Of all the times to hit an area with no service, this was the worst. I glanced up again at the 'Cons and paled. One was making its way toward _me_. I squeaked and started to run. I knew I had little to no chance of surviving this. Cybertronians were smarter, faster, bigger, and stronger. I still wasn't going to die without giving my best shot. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins as I heard the thuds of metal feet striking the ground behind me. I glanced back and saw a shadow above me. The 'Con was going to squash me, and I had no way of escaping. I tried to put on a burst of speed, but I wasn't going to make it. I was going to die.

A sudden loud roar of an engine, coupled with the sound of a huge jet, no, _shuttle_, distracted the 'Con who was intent on squishing me. I then glanced to my left and saw a very familiar blue Honda civic racing toward me. I screamed, terrified Sidelight was going to hit me. In the blink of an eye, I saw a part of her transform into a hand, and I felt her metal hand grab me and toss me into her before she could crush me.

I gave a gasp of hysterical laughter. This situation was anything but funny. I had been about to die by a giant jet's foot, then get crushed as a car ran me over, but instead I was saved. I was safe and sound in the backseat of a being from another world.

"Calm down human," Sidelight told me gruffly, "I'm going to get you to a safe spot. The shuttle you see out the window is Skyfire. He's carrying a bunch of the Autobots to stop the 'Cons."

"T-thank… y-you…" I managed to wheeze. I watched out the window as Skyfire landed and let out a group of 'Bots. They quickly engaged the enemy, felling 'Con's right and left. Once Skyfire transformed, many 'Cons took to the air. He was so much bigger than any of the others.

Sidelight opened her door quickly, "Go on Dawn. You're safe now." I tumbled out and leaned against the brick building. It was the only thing holding me up now. My legs felt like jelly and my hands were shaking badly. I was horribly winded, but as I let myself relax, I began to regain my breath. I didn't want to ever go through that again.

I heard Sidelight drive off swiftly into the night. A few minutes later, I noticed the sounds of battle had died off. I wobbled over to where I could see where the 'Cons had been. The only things left were Autobots cleaning up the mess and dead 'Cons. I looked up as a silhouette blocked the moon.

"Hey Skyfire…" I managed to choke out as he gently bent down and held out a hand. I scrambled over to the hand and flopped against it, exhausted. A gentle rumble started up, and I realized it sounded like a sort of purr. I relaxed and closed my eyes as a colossal but warm finger rubbed my back. This time, I was no longer afraid of the gentle giant. He had just brought a bunch of people to save me, besides the fact I had no fight left in me.

"Dawn," he said, "We will be taking you to the Autobot base. It is no longer safe for you here. The 'Cons need the supplies and they will attack again. Prime will post some of our own guards. You will still work, but not with the people you did before. We need a few more human guards back at the base. Are you up to it?"

"Maybe once I've gotten over this mess," I mumbled, sighing. Then I realized what he was offering. A job where I would have other guards who would do their job too. I wouldn't have to hide anything. They knew about the Autobots. A big grin stretched across my face. I was suddenly ridiculously happy over a job that probably had many more risks. Somehow, I would felt that I would be much safer there.

"Make that a yes," I chirped ecstatically as I opened my eyes and looked up at him. I saw a smile on his face. Smiles on Autobots were nice. 'Con smiles were filled with malice. I shuddered faintly at the thought of the sickly grin on the 'Cons face as he had almost flattened me.

"I will let Prime know," he nodded, a faint concern look gracing his face, "Are you alright, Dawn?"

"I will be…" I exhaled noisily. I couldn't wait to tell Julia what had happened. Then again, maybe I should just leave out the part about almost dying. Julia had such a soft heart. I smiled contentedly. I remembered Julia mentioning living on base. I would be able to see her more often.

I let Skyfire pick me up and carry me back to the others. I could see already that the bodies had been piled, two 'Bots patrolling, and everyone was waiting for transport via Skyfire. This time around though, I would be riding in his cockpit back to the base and my new job.


	6. Learning to be Familiar with the Strange

**Vivi- It has been a while… sorry about that. Gone a week, work, stuff… DX But I'm back! And I'm really hoping to update this more regularly. Can't promise anything though. Enjoy! Review, because they make the world go 'round. ;) (Plus I may update sooner…)**

Learning to be Familiar with the Strange

When my dream of a relaxing palm beach was interrupted by a loud bird that sounded suspiciously like my alarm, I opened my eyes blearily and slapped at my dresser for my alarm clock. Or rather I tried to slap at a nonexistent dresser and tumbled off my bed. That definitely woke me up.

My hazel eyes snapped open and took in the rather drab grey walls that made up my new room at the Autobot base. The alarm I had heard was still blaring from beside the bed, where my cell phone was plugged into the wall behind where I had fallen on the rather hard floor. I groaned, grabbed my phone, and shut off the alarm. What a wake up call.

Just then, a knock sounded at my door.

"Yes?" I asked, wide awake by this time.

"The mess hall is open from six to eight, depending on your schedule, I suggest hurrying over there before the men eat all the grub up," a laughing female voice replied.

"Um… who is this?"

"Just Gloria."

"Alright, Just Gloria, thanks for the warning," I couldn't resist replying. Gloria laughed again.

"C'mon and hurry up, we don't have all day," she retorted good-naturedly. I hurriedly dressed into the military fatigues and popped out of the door. A dark skinned woman with wildly curly black hair pulled into a pony tail waited for me. She had military fatigues on too and was holding a similarly colored helmet.

"Hi Just Gloria," I grinned. She chortled and led me down the grey hallway lined with other doors to other rooms.

"I'm not going to live that down, am I… Dawn, that's your name right?"

It was on the tip of my tongue to say 'left', but I stopped in time and just grinned, "Right."

"Oh you're a joker aren't you? Watch out for Sideswipe then. He's much worse, but whooee, I like his alt-mode."

"His what?"

"Alternative mode, since the transformers have a bi-pedal mode, and that car form," Gloria explained easily, "He's a cherry red Lamborghini. Watch him."

"Thanks for the warning, any others I should steer clear of?" I chuckled. I had heard a few rumors of others, but no one had taken the time to warn me yet, although this was my first day at base.

"Ironhide and Sunstreaker are the main ones, although 'Hide isn't nearly the monster some of the guys make him out to be. He's gruff, but he's got a heart of gold," Gloria's dark eyes sparkled she added in a whisper, "He's my favorite. Although shy Skyfire is getting up there. I haven't been able to talk to him."

"He's really nice," I smiled thoughtfully; "I met him when I first met the Autobots. He was actually the first."

"Wait, you're that guard that nearly got stepped on?" Gloria's eyes widened to dinner plate size, "You sure you want to come here where those 'Cons might try to step on you again? You're crazy girl."

"So I've been told," I grinned, "But hey, it's safer here than back at that open area. There wasn't anywhere I could hide there. Here, you guys have the Autobots for protection."

Gloria nodded, "That's very true, although the 'Cons don't usually attack the base directly. Too much of a risk, Tech tells me."

"Tech… oh yeah, that's my cousin Julia's guardian. How does he know that?" I glanced at Gloria curiously as I got my breakfast in the chow line.

"He was a 'Con once. He's a good mech though; he finally got the chance to switch sides when the war stopped for awhile once Megatron was killed at Mission City. The war resumed when Shockwave appeared on the scene with more soldiers."

As we ate, Gloria explained some of the rules about questions I should never ask, such as 'Where do sparklings come from?' She said new recruits asked that question much too often, so it had been banned. I snickered a bit at that. That was an awkward question for alien and human alike. I wasn't planning on asking about it anyway.

She told me the Autobots had plenty to do, so unless they were on a break, she told me not to ask them a bunch of questions. She gave a few guidelines on the Cybertronian's social rules too. I listened carefully so that I would never offend any of the 'Bots.

"And last but not least, don't bother Saberquake."

"Who's Saberquake?" I asked, uncertain at the sharp tone that had suddenly come into Gloria's voice.

"Let me show you," was her answer as she led me into the main building where the Autobots lived.

I stared up at the towering walls and ceilings. Even Skyfire could walk through this comfortably. I shivered a bit. _So big…Good thing these are the good guys, otherwise we'd be pancakes! _

"And she is Saberquake," Gloria gestured to a red seeker with one blue optic and one red optic. We were just passing the brig where they kept any trouble makers. The femme that was guarding turned our way and glared.

I shivered slightly. What did one blue optic and one red optic mean? She looked mad. _Maybe I should have just asked Gloria to tell me what she looked like and left it at that…_

"Stop staring at me and go away fleshies," Saber growled at us. I felt my eyes widen.

"Gloria, let's go so I can get my schedule," I tugged nervously at her sleeve.

"Right. Sorry Saberquake. Showing a newbie around," Gloria shrugged, but I could tell even she was a bit nervous. We both scurried away toward the human building outside. I heard growling and felt the ground tremble a little as the seeker disappeared around a corner.

"And that is why you don't bother her. She doesn't like humans. But she's on our side; don't let that red optic fool you. There's a few other Autobots that have red optics still. They were once Decepticons, too. Tech is nearly the only one that decided to just change his optics. He originally had blue, but when he was practically forced to join the 'Cons, he had to change his optic color," Gloria explained as a superior handed me my schedule.

"Sounds like Tech had a rough time…he's so nice though," I commented with a thoughtful smile.

"Yeah, he's cool," Gloria grinned, "You'll see him around a lot, since his job is to protect Julia. In fact, you seem to have a free period until nine, why don't you go see your cousin? I have patrol with you, so I'll see you again then."

"Alright, see you Gloria," I waved to her as I headed for my cousins room.

The night before, Julia had told me where her room was so that I wouldn't get lost in the labyrinth of rooms. It was fairly easy, thanks to numbers on the doors. I tapped on room number twenty eight and waited. A thump sounded in addition to a crabby voice muttering somewhere inside.

"Good morning to you Julia."

"Dawn!" The door quickly opened to reveal my cousin dressed in a tank top and sweat pants. She looked a bit sleepy still, but her expression was definitely brighter compared to some of the looks she'd given when she was tired.

I gave her a hug, "I'm so glad I can see you more often now that I work here."

"Me too… Did you meet Saber yet?" I saw a faintly impish light in her green eyes.

"Yes, she's terrifying. Did you have Tech with you when you met her?" I asked dryly.

"Yes I did, thank goodness. She still gave me a really dirty look though…" We both laughed lightly at that.

"So, have you seen Tech around yet?" Julia asked with a half grin.

"Not yet, let's go," I grinned as we both made our way outside to find Tech.

-0-

"_What do you want me to do now, Shockwave?" the femme stood before him, an unreadable look on her face. Her red optics had a hard edge to them, but inwardly, uncertainty warred with loyalty to the Decepticon cause. The humans she had come in contact with were so innocent. Why would they work with the Autobots? The Autobots had killed her parents when she was just a sparkling. She would fight against such tyranny. Why didn't the fleshlings see the evil?_

"_Find the weakest link, and exploit it. You know what to do, femme. Do it right, and we will get the resources we need."_

"_Yes sir. I won't fail you."_

"_Good. See to it you don't end up like those traitorous weak seekers."_

"_I won't sir."_

_With that, the femme drove back out into the night, watching the Autobot's base from a distance. She just needed to wait and observe. The time to strike would come soon enough. _

-0-

**Vivi: Also, Saberquake is Athena's character, and she challenged me to write her into this chapter so… Yeah. Saber's here. **


	7. For Science

**Vivi- I'm back! I've starting writing my own original stories and they've been taking up my time. This is my last story on Fanfiction, sadly. ): So, here is the last and final chapter of _Cars, Planes, and a Big Problem_. **

**Thanks to Jade Aislin and Silver Moonlight Blossom for their Story Alerts and Gothic-Hippie13 for the Favorite Story. (:**

**Also, Athena joined me for the last part of the chapter when the Trine came in. Final project, initiate!**

**Athena: explanation thingy- this takes place in our own little world where scream got turned into a sparkling, Saber/TC adopted him, and warp was having conniptions so TC and Warp re-trined with saber.**

**Which, in our world, is not dirty at all. *beats perverts out of bushes and chases them away***

For Science

I thoughtfully ate my brownie. It had been two weeks since I had joined the base. I liked guarding well enough, with more people to check in with and talk to as I worked. It wasn't exactly what I wanted to do my whole life though. I was working toward a master's degree in science online, and I hoped I could work my way up from there.

A week ago, I spotted Skyfire setting up some new security equipment at the corners of the Autobot building. He bent down so much to work with it, so I decided to go over and see if I could give him a hand. He directed me a bit when some of the advanced technology was a bit out of my league, but I soon had it up and running. Fascinated by the latest technology that had been put into the security equipment, I started asking a few questions about what Skyfire did. I had found out Skyfire was actually a Cybertronian scientist so I mentioned my studies, curious to see what he would think of human learning. He offered to help with some of the schoolwork I was doing and mentioned a new project he was working on. When I asked to help with it, he accepted. I had already worked with him on the project three other days. Today I had more time to help with it, and I was eager to see what was needed next.

"You're helping Skyfire with his project after lunch, right?" Julia glanced over at me. I glanced at my watch.

"Snap, I need to get over there right now," I mumbled around a bite of brownie. I grabbed the rest of the brownie to eat on the go and tossed my tray away into the trash can. Then I jogged toward the door of the cafeteria and waved to Julia before going out. I quickly headed for the Autobot building. Once inside, I headed down the huge hall toward Skyfire's room.

"What are you doing with that? That's unhealthy," Ratchet appeared from a doorway that I assumed led to the med bay.

"But it's yummy," I muttered, about to eat another bite of my brownie. Suddenly, it disintegrated into dust. I stared at the ashes in my hand and then up at Ratchet, disbelieving.

"It's unhealthy," he repeated, stalking back into his med bay. I growled and dusted off the remains. _I'm getting another brownie for supper. _I walked on past the rec room, where I saw some little bots tumbling around. One I recognized as Saberquake's kid, Lightstream. I hurried up so that she wouldn't spot me. Ah, there it was. Skyfire's room. I banged as hard as I could, but it only made my fist hurt and a dull thudding sound on the door.

I nursed my sore fist just as the door opened. I looked up, and up until I saw Skyfire's blue optics. I gulped. He still was huge. Nothing changed that.

I peeked into his room. It was huge, with half of it covered with materials for various projects he had lying around. He was an inventor and a scientist, and it showed.

"Hi. I'm ready…and Ratchet needs to stop stealing brownies."

"Ratchet just wants you to be healthy," Skyfire grinned, letting me in.

"Yeah sure," I waved it off as I looked at the mess of materials laying around the project. Wires, coils, some filters and a rather large fan were settled around it.

"This air conditioner will be great when it's finished," I commented, studying it. Wires, coils, some filters and a rather large fan were settled around it.

"That's right," Skyfire smiled, glancing at me, "Cybertronians like a cooler environment, like where computers are stored. Could you hand me that coil?"

"That makes sense," I grinned, handing him the component.

"Could you bring me those wires, too? I have to hold this in place," he said.

"Sure," I trotted over and picked the bundle of wires up. I realized immediately they weighed quite a bit and I would have to use both hands to drag them to Skyfire. I slowly made my way over to him again.

"Um… Skyfire? This is heavy," I held up the bundle when I was almost to him. Skyfire looked down at me. A small smile crossed his face as he held out one hand for the bundle while he continued to hold the other component together. I lugged it a bit farther and laid it across his wide metal palm with a thud.

"It goes… here," he carefully worked the wires into the large rectangle contraption.

A knock sounded at the door.

"Who is it?" Skyfire asked.

"Asia," a gentle voice I immediately recognized came. I grinned. Asia was just as sweet as she sounded. She was a great friend of Skyfire's, and sometimes I wondered if there wasn't more to it.

"Come in," as I predicted, Skyfire's voice had become bashful. I watched as the door opened and the femme came in with a container of pink liquid.

"You didn't refuel…" she said with a small smile.

"Oh… I didn't, thank you Asia." I heard fans whirring, and I knew it wasn't from the air conditioner.

"Um, what's that sound?" I asked innocently. The fans increased their speed. Both Asia and Skyfire had the strangest expressions on their faces. Skyfire cleared his vocalizer.

"We have internal fans that turn on with things get too warm… or we get embarrassed," Asia explained quickly. Realization made me grin. They probably had feelings for each other.

"That's cool," was all I said, and handed Skyfire the next component. I saw an expression of relief on both of their faces. I couldn't help but grin at them.

Asia studied the air conditioner, and made a few valid suggestions to Skyfire. Soon, she was helping readily and discussing the best place to place certain things. I helped with some smaller areas within the air conditioner that were harder for Skyfire to get to. Time flew by as we talked about other projects Skyfire had going, technical difficulties with the security system, and even some experiments Asia had tried when she was little on Cybertron.

Only when my stomach growled did I realize how late it was getting.

"I'd better go," I spoke up sheepishly.

Skyfire glanced at me. His wings twitched and his optics widened slightly in surprise. He usually reminded me when the cafeteria opened for supper, but he had gotten caught up in his project.

"You'd better hurry then, I think the chow line is about to close down," Asia added, faint worry crossing her face. I knew Asia had picked up on human habits quickly. She was fascinated that we had to eat so often, compared to just once a day for Cybertronians.

"It's alright; I had a lot of fun. See you guys tomorrow. I've got to make a quick stop by my house to grab some things tonight," I smiled, gave a little wave, and headed for the human building.

Julia greeted me with a faint frown, "Where have you been? I got you a tray of food, since the food was disappearing."

"I lost track of time," I replied sheepishly, "Thanks for saving me some grub…did you get a brownie?"

A small smile chased the frown away.

"Ratchet?"

"Ratchet," I repeated dryly, sitting at a table to eat. Julia gave a small laugh. I told her about the air conditioner and my suspicions concerning Skyfire and Asia.

"Tech just mentioned the other day that they had a bit of a history when they were kids," Julia mused, "I wouldn't be surprised."

"That's what I thought," I grinned. I munched on the now cold food. I grimaced. It was too bad I got here late. I finished hastily, barely tasting the fare. I slowed down to enjoy my brownie, however. I glanced in the direction of the Autobot base warily, making Julia snicker again.

"I should be back in an hour or two, I need to grab some things from my apartment," I said after I threw my trash into the garbage can. Julia nodded and walked with me out to where Tech was waiting.

"Then we can watch a quick movie before bed," she smiled.

"Right," I grinned, "Hey Tech, what's up?"

"Seems Skyfire is taking patrol tonight," the silver mech grinned from where he was leaning against the Autobot building. I glanced where he had been looking and saw Skyfire slowly take off in bi-pedal mode, and then transform into his alt-mode. I could see him clearly against the dark backdrop of night. I grinned. He was graceful in the air for a big shuttle. I waved before turning to Tech.

"Ready to go?" I asked.

"Why do I have to drag your stuff around again?" he mock complained even as he shifted into his alt-mode.

"I have to keep packing when I get the chance. I moved to the base, so there's no use for my apartment any more," I retorted as I slipped into the driver's seat, "Remember to stop when you see red signs and lights."

"You sound like Julia," Tech huffed as he pulled away. I heard a grin in his voice.

"Good."

We continued bantering as he drove to my apartment, which was thirty minutes away. I slapped Tech's door lightly when we pulled up to the duplex apartment.

"Open sesame," I growled.

"Fine," the door suddenly swung open and I tumbled to the ground.

"Tech!" I hushed my voice. I knew my neighbors went to bed early, and I didn't want to wake them.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly.

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes, but grinned, "I forgive you… _this _time."

Tech made an 'oh I'm so afraid' noise and I laughed softly before going up the familiar walk to my apartment. I took out my keys, unlocked the door.

My apartment was fairly neat, a few odds and ends lay around, but the furniture was sparse. It was my first, and last, apartment. I grinned wryly as I began packing books, DVDs, and my music CDs into large boxes. I had to have something to do on base during my shorter breaks. I moved on to packing clothes, breakables, and all the other odds and ends. Soon, all the shelves, drawers, and counters were empty. The furniture would be moved with Ironhide's help in three days, on a Sunday. It would go into storage since I couldn't have it at the base.

I carried the boxes out to the car and filled every available space. I grinned as I locked up. I could hear Tech muttering again.

"It's only a thirty minute drive. Cool your engine," I reminded him as I got back into the driver's seat.

"Alright alright," Tech grinned. The streetlights reflected on the familiar cars of my old neighborhood. It had been a nice quiet place; I was going to miss it. Before long, it was miles behind us.

Something pinged on Tech's sensors just as we were driving through a small town.

"Slag, there's a 'Con," he said before I heard a loud rumble. Fear coursed through my veins as I was reminded of the attack that had changed my career. Tech and I spotted the culprit at the same time as it saw us. The 'Con was standing by a gas station and grinned, his sharp teeth shining in the streetlights. Tech slammed on his brakes.

"I can't transform, it'll crush your things," Tech muttered, "I've notified the base."

Tech backed up a bit, aiming a gun that came from his hood at the 'Con. _You have got to be joking. _I thought. The Con ripped apart a gas pump. I heard a scream from inside the store and saw someone run out the back way of the station. _Those people…_I frowned.The 'Con ignoring Tech and gulped down the gas. Confusion made me furrow my eyebrows. _I thought they ate energon…_

"He must be starving," Tech growled under his breath, "Gas for cars clogs up seeker's tanks. I can't shoot, or the explosion from that gas will be too big."

The 'Con finished his supper, and red optics bore down on us again. _Oh snap. I'm going to die with Tech. _I heard a rumble again. _His buddies are coming. _A nightmare come true, _again_.

The 'Con looked up and suddenly transformed and took off in his jet form. I stared in amazement. _Not a buddy? _I looked out. A broad grin crossed my face.

"Skyfire!" I called out, clicking my seatbelt off and shoving open Tech's door.

"You are the best thing I have seen all day," Tech claimed. Skyfire grinned and scooped me up, which made me squeak a little. He glanced at Tech and shrugged a little, not seeming to know how to respond to that statement.

"Is anyone else on the way?" he asked. I relaxed and just shrugged.

"The trine should be coming," Tech grinned. _The trine? Oh right, Saberquake, Thundercracker, and Skywarp. _I heard a rumble as a blue jet came overhead, transformed, and landed carefully on his feet.

A red one followed, then a purple and black jet. The Red, Saber, was just as graceful as the Blue, but Purple slammed into the ground and sprayed dirt all over Tech. Saber glared at Purple, who giggled a bit.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and took it out and glanced at it. Skyfire had managed to hack himself into cell phones somehow so he could text me. There was no phone number, but his name showed up and I opened the text. _The purple one is Skywarp, the blue is Thundercracker. I'm sure you've met Saber... she's just snappy because someone scared her sparkling into hurting itself. She actually just ignores humans for the most part._

_I smiled a little and texted back. __Poor kid, I don't blame her for being a bit snappy about that. _

_"Watch where you're going, you black and purple menace," Tech huffed at Skywarp, but I could hear humor in his voice. I saw Thundercracker roll his optics and send a pointed look at Skywarp._

_"Alright," Thundercracker said in a deep voice, "We have to fill out a report for this."_

_I shivered a little. I was going to be questioned? Great. Just great. _

Saber elbowed Warp, who just grinned. "Want me to trail the 'Con?" he asked. "He can't have gone far; you know how we acted when we drank that stuff."

Saber snorted, and shifted on her feet. "You threw up for... what, a week? And poor T.C. had to sit around and hold your hand?" Skywarp growled at that before looking at Thundercracker. "Can I go?"

"Can _I _go?" Saber whined. "Can we get this done really fast? I had to leave 'Scream and Light with Sunstreaker and he looked like he might kill something. I'm just hoping Sideswipe can contain him."

Skyfire grinned but tensed slightly, and held me a bit closer. _Skywarp's just crazy,_ he texted. I grinned faintly up at Skyfire.

Thundercracker frowned and finally sighed, "You can go Saber. You're staying here Warp."

I could almost hear a 'so I can keep an eye on you' coming after that. I covered a laugh.

"It was Tail Light," Tech mentioned, "I remember him from being with the 'Cons."

Saber nodded and walked off a little ways. Once she was far enough away that she wouldn't hurt any humans, she jumped up, transformed, and took off in Tail Light's direction.

"Tail Light?" Skywarp asked. "I remember him. He kept pestering us to adopt him into our trine. Even though a trine means three, not four. He's hardly a threat, dumb as a box of rocks. Thought T.C. was a femme for a long time." I grinned a little at the odd comment. Skyfire was right, Skywarp was crazy.

Skyfire coughed and looked away for a moment before looking back over at the two seekers, his face perfectly blank. His wings perked upwards slightly though, betraying his amusement.

"From what I saw, he wasn't out for blood. I got here late though," Skyfire added quietly.

Thundercracker sent Skywarp a slightly disgusted look before turning to Skyfire, "Thank you."

"Yeah, the mech was just hungry mostly. He looked a bit out of it to me. He didn't bother attacking me, even though I had my gun aimed at him," Tech added thoughtfully. _Gee thanks for telling me he wouldn't have attacked after I was scared out of my mind, _I thought wryly, rolling my eyes.

"He always looked out of it," Skywarp snickered. "Anyways, don't we need to hunt him down now? Please 'Cracker? Please?"

"Saber is taking care of it," Thundercracker said calmly as he ignored the nickname, "We need to finish the report. Why don't you ask some of the questions, and _don't _reword them. First column, second question."

I coughed a little to stifle a snicker.

"Whatever," Skywarp muttered. "Kay, fleshwad, Tech, are you guys on any..." he paused to sound out the word, "...hallucinogens? Or any sort of drug?"

"Unless you're a figment of my imagination, no," Tech retorted.

"My name is Dawn, not fleshwad. And no, I'm not on anything of the sort," I relaxed a bit. Now that Saber was gone, I felt safer in Skyfire's hands.

"I saw the 'Con too," Skyfire sighed.

"Oh," Warp muttered. He squinted at his data-tablet again and frowned. "Well... the rest doesn't really apply to you. Saber says she found the guy anyway and has him pinned in a cave somewhere." Skywarp took a moment to stare at me and frown. "You can quit tensing every time someone says Saber. She really doesn't care about you one way or the other. I mean do you tense up every time someone says Soundwave or Sunstreaker?"

"They didn't growl at me," I huffed and crossed my arms, "Sorry for having a healthy respect for your trine mate."

"Saber wouldn't bother you," Thundercracker added with a sigh, "Most of the humans don't care for her anyway."

"Can we get on with the questions? I'd like to get these boxes out of me," Tech spoke up.

"We're done with questions," Skywarp chirped. "Drive home little baby. Have mama take the boxes away so you don't cry."

"Oh for spark's sake," Skyfire muttered. I snorted. Now Skywarp was just annoying in addition to crazy.

"Alright you sparkling, go annoy your big brother," Tech grunted, "Or do you need a nap?"

I rolled my eyes. _Don't encourage him Tech. _

Skyfire sent a look to Thundercracker that clearly said he should be doing something about this. Skywarp growled, apparently out of insults for the day. He settled with a good curse instead.

"Knock it off Warp. We're done here. Let's meet up with Saber and get the 'Con back to base," Thundercracker rolled his optics. _It's a good thing Thundercracker has it under control, _I thought wryly, _Otherwise this could go on indefinitely. _

Skywarp muttered and walked off before transforming and flying off. Thundercracker followed soon after.

"So, I take it Skywarp and Tech don't get along very well?" Skyfire asked. He started rubbing my back again, a bit like how a kid might stroke his pet mouse.

"No we don't," Tech huffed, but I heard a grin in his voice.

"Tech…" I snickered, relaxing against the back rub. It wasn't too rough, which I was thankful for.

"Alright, I bait him a bit. He does get on my nerves though."

"You're a bad influence," I shot back at Tech.

"Who isn't?" Skyfire teased. "Now... who are you riding back to base with Dawn? Me or Mr. I-Bait-Jets?"

I laughed, "I think I feel safer with you, rather than him."

"Ouch," Tech grumbled good naturedly.

"Well you weren't able to do much with boxes in you," I made a face down at him.

"It's not going to happen again… fine, go with jumbo jet over there," Tech taunted right back.

"Be nice Tech," I grinned.

"What about _him_?"

"You too Skyfire," I snickered.

"I'm perfectly civil," Skyfire grinned as he set me down gently. "I have to transform," he explained and walked off a little ways to do so. I backed up a bit more and leaned against Tech.

"Sure you pick him," Tech muttered, "And make me carry all the stuff."

"It's not that bad. I had to carry it to you, you know. Plus pack it all without help," I thumped his door. Skyfire's last piece fell into place as he finished transforming. _What a gentleman. You better run over here before he thumps you with the door or something, _he texted me teasingly.

"Good idea," I dashed away just as Tech swung his door open.

"Darn it Skyfire! I was _this _close," Tech snickered. I eyed him warily before quickly climbing into Skyfire.

"Now I know what Wheeljack meant when he said you were single for reason," Skyfire replied dryly. "Buckle up, Dawn."

"Aw don't be like that Sky," Tech grinned, "I delayed that door swing on purpose. Besides, 'Jackie doesn't know what he's talking about."

I buckled up and shook my head at the banter. Tech was an imp. I didn't know of a femme at the base that could deal with that. They would have to have a very easy going personality, and a very good sense of humor.

Skyfire snorted as he started his engines up. "I think he said you and Starscream would be the best possible couple. You could sit around and have cat-fights together." And with that final bit of conversation, Skyfire rose up into the air, hovered a moment, and took off towards base. "I don't know how Julia stands him," he muttered.

"She's really patient, but he actually doesn't bother her. He doesn't try to get on her nerves," I snorted with a wry grin.

"Hm," Skyfire responded before falling into a thoughtful silence for awhile. "Do you travel much Dawn? I mean, do you like to?"

"I haven't been able to travel much, but I like to. I can get tired of the same old same old every day," I said thoughtfully. I liked familiar things, but I liked to see new things better. It made things fresh to me.

"So... you wouldn't mind... maybe helping Asia and with our long distance patrols? I convinced Prime that it would be good to have a human around, just in case something happened or we needed you to go down somewhere we couldn't..." he trailed off. I brightened. _Long distance patrols? Count me in!_

"That would be cool," I grinned, "When do I start?"

Skyfire seemed to relax somewhat, and replied cheerfully, "In about a week."

"Awesome," I relaxed back in my seat. I wouldn't have to fear meeting any 'Cons in the future since Skyfire would be overhead if I had to go where he and Asia couldn't.

A smile turned up the corners of my mouth. When I told Julia about this 'Con incident, she was probably going to threaten to never let me out of sight. Once I told about Skyfire though, I think I could leave…after a week. Julia was always so overprotective, especially since I had just been in two attacks.

Finally, we landed at the base. Julia was already crossing her arms and tapping her foot, with Tech resting nearby, still in car mode. I grinned. Explanations would come soon enough, if Tech hadn't already told her. I was just glad to be here, at a new home, with a new job, and Skyfire watching out for me.


End file.
